Magic in the Kingdom 2012! BIG 2/16/2014 FINAL UPDATE!

[mom2rtk]

June 7th Continued:

So anybody who goes shelling knows that you can't collect the ones with living creatures inside. That's usually not a problem since it's only the occasional shell that still has an occupant. What we found this night was nothing short of remarkable (well, to me anyway). We started noticing a fair number of Florida Fighting Conchs. As we picked them up we noticed they all still had inhabitants. We were throwing them back into the gulf, but once we got a feel for the sheer QUANTITY of them, we gave up.


Sanibel Shells by mom2rtk, on Flickr


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These little guys were really active too. They just crept around in the sand, leaving trails behind to let us know they were alive inside. They were REALLY creepy looking too........ Check out those EYES!



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We saw more live creatures than ever before. Lots of starfish:



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Countless crabs.......



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OK, this one wasn't exactly alive, but interesting nonetheless......



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Somewhere along the line we stumbled across this fascinating little guy. He was pretty tiny, only an inch or two across. I believe he's a pygmy octopus of some sort. We put him back in the gulf, but don't know if he had enough left in him to recover his visit to the shore.


IMG_0946 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Drew found this guy out in the surf. It sure would have been a great keepsake, but was very much occupied:


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Somebody else on the beach that night found our favorite creature of the entire trip. Well, mine anyway. I thought for a minute he might lean out so far he'd fall right out. But no, he quickly popped back in and we returned him to the Gulf.


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As the sun started to set, the show just got better and better.



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I was taking photos over on the other side of the pier when Drew yelled for me to come over toward the lighthouse to see Mother Nature's other show........... Surely a sign that the rain was finally over?


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Then back to the other side of the pier to see the sky turn to gold.


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And on our way out....... my favorite shot of the night.


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I think we all agreed it had been our greatest beach visit ever.

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh Janet, Those sunset photos are just breath taking!

I haven't picked up my DSLR since Dec 29th. I just felt the "want to" last weekend, when I drove past a small creek and saw a pretty scene with some purple and white flowers and a lush grassy bank. I envisioned Kadence sitting there, in white, with a nice smile. I'm going to attempt it this weekend. (Cross my Fingers)

Anyway, I love the kayak shot where it just started to rain, you actually can see the raindrops like jewels! The kids look so happy, and having fun.

Beautiful pictures in all!

edited to add: A co-worker just went to the estate there, and brought a coffee table book back and those Banyan Tress are awesome!

Thanks Carey! I agree those Banyan trees are pretty cool. The entire estate is landscaped just beautifully. I sure wish your co-worker lived close by so I could look through her book!

And yeah for wanting to pick your camera back up again! Surely that is a good sign that things are looking back up again. I'm going to go catch back up on your TR again. I hope you post some of your new photos over there so we can see. I can just imagine the poses Kadence has all saved up for you!

And thanks for the kind words on the photos. Mother Nature did all the work. All I really did was show up and push the button.

And the kids really did have fun on the trip. But Katie REALLY did not like the kayaking. Can you tell? The rain was annoying at the end, but once I had my camera covered, I was fine with it. As I said, it beats the VERY hot alternative. I was really miserable out fishing in the full force of the FL sun on our last trip. This time was so much different.

 

[jenseib]

Such and awesome tennis shot with Timmy hitting the ball.

The shells just amaze me. I don't think I have ever seen that many shells in my life on a beach and surely not alive. Heck I am exited if I find a whole shell.
You make me want to go out and take some sunset photos. Our sky often looks pretty behind the house, but I can never catch it right on the camera.

 

[mom2rtk]

Such and awesome tennis shot with Timmy hitting the ball.

The shells just amaze me. I don't think I have ever seen that many shells in my life on a beach and surely not alive. Heck I am exited if I find a whole shell.
You make me want to go out and take some sunset photos. Our sky often looks pretty behind the house, but I can never catch it right on the camera.

Thanks Jen. It was a ton more fun shooting Timmy playing tennis recreationally. I've only gotten to shoot him at school matches THROUGH the chain link fence up until now. Big difference.

Sanibel really is known for the shells. It's why we go. And why we have boxes and bags of shells stuffed into every closet and under every chair in this house. I have finally stopped trying to hunt for shells myself. I just stick with the photography. But I still watch for the good ones and just give them to the kids to add to their own collections.

You would probably have a better view of sunset around your house than I would from home here. Too many other buildings, too many electric and telephone lines to clutter up my shots. So I just save all sunset photo ops for vacation. Well, pretty much just for Sanibel.

 

[rachel09985]

Wow your sunset photos are absolutely breathtaking!

I have to admit I didn't like Sanibel when I went there 3 years ago.

But your pictures have me rethinking why. All of that wildlife you saw is amazing!!! I can not believe all of those shells. We vacation in Panama City Beach every year and there is nothing like those shells there. Although the sand is amazing there. I ate at the Bubble Room too! It is a funky cool little place!

 

[goteng]

Thanks for the great informations!

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for the great informations!

Thanks for reading along.

 

[mom2rtk]

Saturday June 8th:

After a week of 5:45 AM wake-up calls and no memorable sunrise photos, I decided to mix things up a bit. This would be my last sunset, since we were leaving for Orlando the next morning and I wanted a little more sleep in the morning.

I hadn't seen a great sunrise yet, but I could tell that even if it had been pretty, I wouldn't have liked the angle I had on the sun. It was not out over the water where we were. So I decided I needed to try things form the Lighthouse. I honestly had no idea where it would rise over there. I knew where we had seen it setting, and figured I had a decent shot at a better view of sunrise over the Gulf.

Drew and Timmy had both said they might get up and go with me, but neither was interested when the time came. So I packed up my tripod and camera and drove up there myself. There was only one other car in the parking lot. It was still dark, so a bit unsettling. But after being there so many times at sunset, I knew where I was going, and which bridge would get me out on the beach closest to the Lighthouse on the tip of the island.

It turns out that other person on the beach was also there with a tripod and camera gear so he didn't bother me. I mean, if you're going to kidnap or murder someone, wouldn't you leave the tripod at home?

While waiting, I decided to try a new approach with the Lighthouse. It was still pretty dark, and no sign of where the sun might pop out, so I shot in near darkness. The tripod allowed me a colorful long exposure though.


Sunrise at Sanibel Lighthouse by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Eventually it became obvious where the sun would make its appearance. I set up hoping for something amazing. It was definitely better than the prior days, but still not the light show I had hoped for. But I did like the location better than the beach by our resort and will likely try it again on another trip.


IMG_1121 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I definitely should have broken out the bug spray that morning though. I had done pretty well all week but got eaten alive that morning.

I had been curious to see what happened to all those Florida Fighting Conchs we had seen on the beach the night before. Well, they were still there, but I didn't quite understand because the tide should have come in and gone back out again since then. But there were still a decent number of them hanging out, although moving even slower than the night before. I wondered if we came back that night if there would be empty conch shells all over the place.


IMG_1153 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I had the wide angle lens on so decided to play with it a bit longer before heading back. I'm sure everyone was still asleep though.


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Along the way I found this creature someone had put together the night before:


IMG_1183 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

It wasn't a spectacular sunrise, but was definitely better than the others that week.

Thankfully everyone got up pretty easily so we could discuss what to do with our last full day on the island. Well, it was the last full day for Katie and me, since we were leaving for Orlando. Drew and Timmy would be staying one more day but wouldn't have a car, so this was the day to really do what we wanted. And the sun was finally out!

All week we had talked about going out on some wave runners, but didn't want to invest he money only to be cut short. We figured we'd be doing that this day, but when we called we found out they weren't even letting them go out. I guess the currents were still too strong in the area after the storm. Who knew? It was clear and sunny. So we asked about parasailing and were told that was a go for the day. So we headed back to the Captiva side of the island where they do that.

We had to kill a little time so visited one of the beaches there. I thought it was odd how different the sand was so close to where we had been spending all of our time. It's like it was tiny pieces of shell, but you just sank in it like quicksand.


IMG_9906 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

And of course, my obligatory photo from behind..........very fitting since he's leaving for school in the fall.


IMG_9911 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[mom2rtk]

June 8th Continued:



All ready to head out for parasailing. Katie didn't want to do it. I thought about it, but my desire to photograph it was stronger, so it was just Drew and Timmy.


IMG_9921 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

The view of the dock as we headed out:


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And coming in for a landing........




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Once back on the boat, they drove us around looking for dolphins. They said they had been known to chase their wake and sometimes play in it jumping up into the air. No such luck today, but we did see them at least.


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And back on dry land again. They had an awesome time and would do it again in a heartbeat.




IMG_0162 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[mom2rtk]

June 8th Continued:

We had lunch at one of the restaurants near the beach in Captiva then headed back to our room to regroup. The pool beckoned for our first time swimming in sunlight!

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While some cleaned up, others took stock of their shell collections. Either Drew or Timmy noticed we had a stow away on one of our shells.......


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Oops. We had no idea he was there. He looked alive so Timmy raced him down to the beach.


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On our way to dinner, we made one last stop at She Sells Seashells to pick up a nice shell for Robbie back home.


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After dinner, we headed back to the Lighthouse for Katie's and my last sunset. Timmy and Drew had rented bicycles to use the next day after Katie and I left with the car, so Timmy opted to bike down. He didn't appreciate my stalking skills though........


IMG_0265 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Once at the beach, we were treated to our first glimpse of the gopher tortoise we had seen so much habitat roped off for:


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Lots of wildlife out again this night. Timmy gold bold holding the crabs and was lucky he didn't get pinched.


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I'm amazed at how close the dolphins come in to the short. I suppose they are always there because of all the fish at the pier.


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Another view of that iconic lighthouse.



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I had one photo op planned for the trip that I had not yet accomplished. Since it was Timmy's Senior trip, I wanted a photo of him on the beach wearing his graduation cap. He was less than excited about it but indulged me anyway.


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We didn't stay late this night. I still had to organize our things for the next day. Katie took the time back in the room to play with my camera.


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And it was nice to see her and Timmy just hanging out playing games together.


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I then headed out for my last bit of housekeeping. Like so many trips before, I headed for the gas station to use the commercial vac to try and remove the Sanibel beach from our rental van.

 

[jenseib]

Still loving the pictures. I am amazed the kids just pick up those creatures. And like I told you, I don't think I have ever seen a shell with something living in it before.. Well I have at the pet shop, but that doesn't count.
Since you are on such a roll with editing pictures, I'll send the rest of my Disney ones for you to do!

I guess I forgot you guys went parasailing. I love the faces when they got dipped in the water. it looked like it might've been a touch cold. I'm glad they had such a good time though. It looks like they went pretty high up.

 

[francis6306]

How much fun! I think that you and my friend have convinced me to try Sanibel island! We love Amelia Island, but it's on the Atlantic side… We will have to compare the two!

 

[mom2rtk]

Still loving the pictures. I am amazed the kids just pick up those creatures. And like I told you, I don't think I have ever seen a shell with something living in it before.. Well I have at the pet shop, but that doesn't count.
Since you are on such a roll with editing pictures, I'll send the rest of my Disney ones for you to do!

I guess I forgot you guys went parasailing. I love the faces when they got dipped in the water. it looked like it might've been a touch cold. I'm glad they had such a good time though. It looks like they went pretty high up.

Thanks Jen! And sure..... just send those files right on over. I'll take care of them right after I finish up the Disney shots from this trip. Oh, and the ones I have left from December.

I've seen my share of creatures in side shells. But NOTHING like I did on this trip. My own complete guess is that maybe empty shells are typically more apt to wash up on shore on an average day, but that the tropical storm stirred things up more. I asked someone at She Sells Seashells about all the live Conchs, and they didn't really know, but guessed that maybe the storm disturbed a feeding bed somewhere nearby.

How much fun! I think that you and my friend have convinced me to try Sanibel island! We love Amelia Island, but it's on the Atlantic side… We will have to compare the two!

As I said, I am spoiled for visiting the beach anywhere else. Ever again. The shell hunting is really just such an amazing addition to the beach experience. And I don't even collect them any more. But I love watching the kids dredge up one interesting treasure after another. You really need to try and find a way to get there sometime. There is nothing sweeter than watching a small child (especially the small ones, but also the big ones ) gathering up their treasures on the beach.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I'm enjoying your TR within a TR! The pictures are so gorgeous. I'm glad you had some days without rain!

That's quite a collection of shells you guys found- I love it.

Can't wait to hear about your stop in Orlando!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm enjoying your TR within a TR! The pictures are so gorgeous. I'm glad you had some days without rain!

That's quite a collection of shells you guys found- I love it.

Can't wait to hear about your stop in Orlando!

Thanks Courtney!

The next set of photos will have us arriving at the Pop Century and turning around and heading toward the Magic Kingdom!

Just imagine Katie and me in a car heading through central Florida. It really was nice, talking about what we would do that night, and listening to Disney tunes on my phone.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Thanks Courtney!

The next set of photos will have us arriving at the Pop Century and turning around and heading toward the Magic Kingdom!

Just imagine Katie and me in a car heading through central Florida. It really was nice, talking about what we would do that night, and listening to Disney tunes on my phone.

I love it. That's such a sweet image in my head. Katie is so lucky to have an awesome mom to have those bonding moments with! I love my mom but she doesn't GET the Disney magic. I really hope one day I can take a trip with her and try to show her why I love it so much.

 

[mom2rtk]

I love it. That's such a sweet image in my head. Katie is so lucky to have an awesome mom to have those bonding moments with! I love my mom but she doesn't GET the Disney magic. I really hope one day I can take a trip with her and try to show her why I love it so much.

Awww... thanks Courtney. I love my sons but they don't "get" the Disney magic either. Never did. Sometimes we have to put up with these shortcomings in our family members. I hope one day you can open her eyes to it. I have visions of going to Disney with my sons if they ever take their own kids one day. It might just be a pipedream..... but I'm thinking if Star Wars Land ever happens, they might just get sucked in.

Maybe one day your mom will want to share the magic with you and a child of yours?

 

[FancyNancy]

I'm a little late to the game on your TR but I'm subbing in! Your pictures are just gorgeous

 

[KCmike]

Really, really, loving this mini trip report. So many great family memories here. That sea shell collection you've assembled is pretty darn amazing. I always love how kids will give you their true impression of Mom or Dad taking pics of them. There was one in the Cheeburger Cheeburger where your son had the look of c'mon Mom enough already. Priceless.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm a little late to the game on your TR but I'm subbing in! Your pictures are just gorgeous

Not to worry. I got a slow start on the December trip, so there's a LOT to go still! Thanks for the kind words. So glad you found us!

Really, really, loving this mini trip report. So many great family memories here. That sea shell collection you've assembled is pretty darn amazing. I always love how kids will give you their true impression of Mom or Dad taking pics of them. There was one in the Cheeburger Cheeburger where your son had the look of c'mon Mom enough already. Priceless.

Thanks Mike!

And yes, I do know that look so well. I've been taking tons of photos since he was born. You'd think he's just expect it, right?